World War II has come to Britain. The country you love is in peril. What do you do? Young men become soldiers. Young women nurses or volunteers. Pacifists argue against the insanity of it all. The old end up on fire-watching duty or filling in crucial holes in industry. Centenarians start knitting socks for the BEF, kids change their playground games and no one wants to be ‘German’ anymore. And magicians? Well, there are several twentieth-century instances of stage magicians getting dragged into illusion-making on a massive scale. But what about the others? You know, the true believers, the occultists and witches, the ultra theosophists and the adepts what do they do? Well, in the case of that batty but likeable Welsh witch Dion Fortune the answer was more of what had come before. Understanding that her magical circle, the Fraternity of the Inner Light, would not be able as easily to meet, she began writing letters. These letters were then circulated so that members could follow similar meditations and channeling rituals and pool their efforts. The aim of these magic works were simple: to protect Britain from physical and occult attack from Germany.

Last Sunday the meditation in the Sanctuary was very powerful – one of the most powerful I have ever known. A beam of diamond light came down spontaneously as soon as the Elder Brethren had come to meet us, and this beam was then directed towards France, so that it lay like a barrier right across that country into Africa, and seemed to be supporting the allied armies. Not until the meditation was over did I realize that Sunday was the day set aside as a day of prayer for France. In all my experience of occult work I have never seen anything more tangible than that beam of force.

DF was convinced that German occultists were attacking her own country. She also risked though more tangible attacks. Take this bulletin from 27 October 1940.

In our last letter we asked our members and friends to invoke for the protection of 3 Queensborough Terrace, and in this letter we have the ironical task of informing them that we have bombed out of it, though without casualties; so it may be maintained that the invocation was at least a partial success, though your leader and her Librarian look like a couple of sweeps owing to a difference of opinion with the roof, which fell in on them, but tactfully refrained from hitting them. It has often been alleged that Dion Fortune is a Black Occultist, and we regretfully admit that the allegation can no longer be denied: however, it is hoped that soap and water will restore her to the Right Hand Path.

It is difficult to dislike someone who makes a joke at their own expense. Having said that anyone who does not speak that most curious language Golden Dawn will find most of DF’s letters almost total gibberish: they have been collected together by Gareth Knight in his The Magical Battle of Britain. The letters have clear traces of theosophy, including some dated and rather worrying references to the race’s soul and the race’s mind. Any other example of occultists fighting war: drbeachcombing AT yahoo DOT com

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16 Feb 2013: Steve T writes in with this: Found some splendidly over the top conspiracy theories concerning Crowley (who else) and the rumour that he was up to good/no good on the south coast; “Sefton Delmer the black propaganda and psyops leader, confirmed that 33rd degree masons Churchill and Aleister Crowley were involved in wartime sacrifices at the devils chimney on the south coast.” Interestingly, another name that crops up here is; “Soviet spy Eugene Ivanov was just one who documented Churchill’s alcoholism and mental instability, all now in G.R.U archives.” Ivanov’s involvement with Churchill and that most dastardly of Doctors, Stephen Ward came later, but Churchill was a ‘patient’ of Ward’s and although the internet now only links SW with pimping and spying, there are those who believe he was quite a practitioner of the dark arts. Michael Bentine certainly comes right out and says it in “Doors of The Mind”. Anyway, lots more delicious ‘Eyes Wide Shut‘ type stuff here, but you will need the tin-foil hat!’ Thanks Steve!